Dave Menne MMAMemories.com Exclusive Biofile Published by Scoop Malinowski Last Updated on January 21st, 2009

Options:  Print  Email  RSS

Status: Former UFC Middleweight champion.

Ht: 5-11 Wt: 195

DOB: July 29, 1974 In: Forest Lake, MN

Childhood Heroes: “Probably Larry Bird, Sugar Ray Leonard and Marvin Hagler.”

Hobbies/Leisure Activities: “I like fishing, bird hunting, I read. Private interest studies, various subjects. If I could, I’d like to do more woodworking and rock climbing.”

Nicknames: “Warrior – fight nickname. Just Dave. I don’t have too many nicknames, at least nothing too embarrassing.”

Favorite Movies: “Outlaw Josey Wales, Angels with Dirty Faces with James Cagney, Brotherhood of the Wolf, The Quiet Man, Tombstone, Jeremiah Johnson, Dune, The Searchers. But you could ask me this question tomorrow and I could have six different answers.”

Favorite TV Shows: “Used to like Norther Exposure. Talk Radio. Usually watch the History Channel and the news.”

Musical Tastes: “Johnny Cash. I like jazz, blues, John Lee Hooker, Buddy Guy, classical, Bach, Celtic music. Let me check my CDs – Aretha Franklin, Ozzy Osbourne, Cowboy Junkies, Trinity Sessions, soundtracks to Blackhawk Down and Gladiator, Everlast, Bob Seger.”

Favorite Meal: “Mango pineapple chipotle barbecue chicken.”

Favorite Breakfast Cereal: “Special K with strawberries.”

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “Would probably be mint chocolate chip. I eat it with scoops of peanut butter on the side.”

First Job: “Laborer. I was breaking up concrete, digging holes (age 15).”

First Car: “Ford Granada (black).”

Early Fighting Memory: “Thinking, What the fuck am I doing?! One of my first MMA fights, the fights got moved to a house – a house being sold, cleared out, with no furniture. No heat. Middle of winter in Wisconsin. People had to stand up next to the radiators so the fighters didn’t crash into ‘em. I remember you wanted to finish the fight as fast as you could, because my feet kept going numb. (How did you do?) I won quick. Two or three fights. (What year was it?) This is the early days, ’96.”

Pre-Fight Feeling: “If you’re focused and in it, I think about what I’m gonna do, how to finish it. Think about what his tendencies are. If you’re out of it mentally, probably thinking about what you’re gonna do when you go home. Thinking that it’ll probably really suck if you lose.”

Greatest Career Moment: “Probably the Kuwait tournament (2001) with (Carlos) Newton, Matt (Hughes), Pele (Landi Jons). I beat Newton, then I beat (Kareem) Barklaev in the final (by decision). That was the best moment. And when I won the UFC title against Gil Castillo. The process of winning it. And the win over Pele in WEF. These were important moments in my career.”

Most Painful Moment: “Training or fighting-wise? Probably separating my left shoulder in training. (Fighting-wise?) I guess I don’t really specify pain. Nothing sticks out, where I went Owww. Nothing seems that much more painful in any fight than any other time. Don’t usually feel the pain.”

Funny Fighting Memory: “A story I heard…do I have to name names? I heard a story about someone running out of the ring, saying they shit their self.”

Embarrassing Moment: “Any time you lose.”

Childhood Dreams: “Writer. Fighter pilot. (What kind of writer?) General fiction/journalism. Maybe like a suspense drama, with some form of meaning. I prefered classical literature pretty much over pop. Like, I’m looking at my shelf…I like Dostoevsky, Melville, Ibsen, Tolstoy, some Willie Lamar, Emerson, Voltaire, Shakespeare, Cervantes, Milton, Kurt Vonnegut. (How did you become a fighter?) Decided to do it. The decision process was I watched some of the early UFCs, it was something that interested me. It was something you could engage fully in, mentally and physically. There seemed a certain degree of honesty in the sport.”

Favorite Fighters To Watch: “I like watching Fedor. Pretty impressive. Greast striking game. Powerful, stays relaxed, seems to be in the rhythm.”

Favorite Vacation Spot: “The best place I’ve been to so far is Dominican Republic. Oh no, Spain, actually. A town which I can’t remember the name, outside of Valencia, off the Mediterranean, off the coast.”

People Qualities Most Admired: “Integrity. That their word means something. Or at least they try to make it that way. Can’t make everything happen, but at least they tried.”

www.thebiofile.com